What it Takes to Make You Mine
by cold as ice 1915
Summary: We all know there's something going on with Drake and Taylor but it took that party to make them both realize that what they feel is more than just lust. This is their story on how a single hook up became much more.
1. Chapter 1

I got this idea during "Stabbed with a White Wench's Black Eye" (1 x 6) when Drake sees Taylor and then the exchange between the two. The story takes off from there and more than likely won't follow the rest of the season. I have also altered some things with the plot to make this story work. As always I own nothing. Enjoy and Review!

Chapter 1

Drake's POV:

I saw Taylor enter the room and she looked amazing. I mean there were a lot of good looking women at the party but none compared to her. She glowed with a fire that outshined anyone on any given day. I felt bad about freaking out on her the other day but what was I supposed to do? I had my orders and I may not agree with the Trags' methods but if it got me closer to my mother I didn't care. She saw me watching her and her eyes instantly smoldered. I was trapped in her eyes their color making me weak at the knees. She walked toward me and I swallowed trying to think of something to say. When she was about a foot away her eyes shifted beyond me and she brushed past me. I turned following her with my eyes and saw her walk up to a server in a white uniform and start flirting with him. I felt a sudden flare of anger and sulked away not wanting to see her throwing herself at some other guy. Sure I might have deserved it for the way I treated her before but now I know I overreacted. Maybe if I could talk to her she would see that I'm not usually suck a jackass. But how was I going to get her alone to talk to her? I couldn't just walk up to her and steal her away from whoever she was talking to. Then I had an idea.

I walked over to the bar and asked for a water and a napkin. I walked over to what looked like a study to grab a pen and wrote out my message. I walked over to one of the servers and handed the drink to him.

"Can you give this to that girl in the red dress?" I asked the young girl. She nodded and left walking toward Taylor. She politely interrupted the conversation and handed Taylor the drink.

"Who's this from?" Taylor asked looking around.

"The man with the tattoos asked me to deliver this to you as well," I snorted at the girl's comment about my "tattoos" as she handed over the napkin with my note on it. Taylor glanced at the message and then looked up and straight at me. I nodded my head at her and ducked into the study again propping the door behind me so she could get in without much trouble.

It seemed like I was waiting in the room for hours but finally Taylor walked into the room slowly and carefully shutting the door behind her.

"I thought you were ignoring me. Especially after you flipped out on me after we had sex." She said sitting carefully on the edge of the desk. I could see the hurt in her eyes but the fire still burned there too.

"Nobody is ignoring you, at least not in that dress," I say walking toward her. She stands up stiffly her posture guarded. "I just want to talk." I say holding out my hand for her to take. She rebuffs my gesture and brushes past me in the small office sitting down in a chair on the other side of the study.

I pull up a seat and sit down trying to think about my plan coming into this meeting. So far it's not going great. I had planned to have her in my arms by now, but this was Taylor so I shouldn't have expected anything less.

"I should probably explain what happened that night, but first I want to say I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that and I know you saw me walk off with your best friend-"

"Former best friend." Taylor corrects me and starts playing with her nails.

"Still it wasn't cool of me to do that. I was there at the party to gather intel on what the Red Hawks were planning and Zoe was my contact. I thought it was you which was why I was so cross with you. Zoe's an Atrian with her markings removed so she can spy for us," I pause letting that information sink in. I see something like a mini war take place in her eyes as she fights to make sense of it all.

"Is that why you kept saying something about a mission and business to attend to?" She asks fingering the necklace around her throat. I nod and continue to let her process. "If Zoe had found you first, would you have slept with her too?" She says this softly and looks away. I cross the room, kneel, and gently lift her face toward mine. I see tears in her eyes, the fire that I love about her has dimmed a little. She won't look directly at me and a tear slips from the corner of her eye and marks a slow path down her face. I brush it away reflexively and she flinches. My heart clenches a little at this and I can't help but want to pull her into my arms and never let go.

"Taylor I told you I made a mistake," I pause trying to think quickly about what to say to get this meeting back on track. "My mistake wasn't sleeping with you, it was leaving you right away with no other explanation. I'm sorry."

"I don't know what to say to that. Am I supposed to forgive you because we had a miscommunication and then you flipped out on me but now you're apologizing so that makes up for everything?" She looks up at me and I see the fire has come back.

"No. That's not what I came here for. I just want to fix things between us. Even if we don't become friends I don't want us to leave things like this especially since we go to the same school so it'll be difficult to avoid you." I say and then bite my tongue "that didn't come out like I had wanted it to."

"Do you ever stop talking before you dig yourself a hole you can't get out of? Or do you get a thrill out of trying to sweet talk your way out of a situation?" Taylor asked me pulling free of my grip and storming toward the door. Her dress catches on the underside of the chair and she falls forward. I catch her around her waist before she falls. Her arms automatically wrap around me for support, one arm wrapping around my neck the other around my bicep. Our faces are so close I can feel her breath on my face and I have to resist the urge to kiss her. Up close her eyes are so bright I can see my reflection in them. She inhales and then surges forward kissing me.

Taylor's POV

I would be lying if I still wasn't bitter about what happened the other day. I mean who has sex and then just freaks out on that person? Anyway after mother insisted that I come to the benefit, I finally felt ready to go. I had my favorite designer dress on and I knew I looked good in it. I walked into the party and said hello to a few of my classmates and teachers but my eyes were searching for one specific man- or Atrian that is. I saw him standing alone off the center of the room. I refused to let it show that he surprised me with how good he looked in a tux. I stared him down and walked toward him. I smirked when I saw him swallow visibly and then tore my gaze off of him and looked beyond him to the servant standing behind him. I walked up to him and brushed my hand over his chest pretending to admire his uniform. He looked good in his white tux but he was nothing compared to the man I really wanted. I laughed and pretended that he said something funny and when I glanced behind me and saw Drake had left I took a glass off the server's tray and downed it quickly. The server looked at me funny but I just smiled and put the glass back on the tray, taking another glass with me I walked over to where a few of my friends were standing.

I was starting to get bored when a server tapped me on the shoulder and handed me a glass of water. _Who the heck give you a glass of water. _I thought looking around.

"Who's this from?" I asked not seeing anyone in particular eyeing me.

"The man with the tattoos asked me to deliver this to you as well," She pointed over her shoulder and I saw who the "tattooed" man was. Drake was trying hard (and failing miserably) to not look at me. I thanked the server and then looked down at the note.

_We need to talk, please. Meet me in the study on the first floor?_

I looked up at Drake and saw him watching me carefully. He nodded his head and ducked into what I assumed was the study. I am conflicted. On one hand the thought of being alone with him again makes me nervous (the good and bad kind of nervous) and on the other hand I felt like I should go in there and tell him off. I stayed with the group of friends for a while still pondering if I should or shouldn't follow Drake.

I downed another glass of champagne and then excused myself from the group. I walked through the door and carefully shut it behind me.

"I thought you were ignoring me. Especially after you flipped out on me after we had sex." I said sitting carefully on the edge of the desk. I looked down at my bracelet trying to keep my emotions in check.

"Nobody is ignoring you, at least not in that dress," Drake says walking toward me. I stand up stiffly, weary of him and what he's going to do. "I just want to talk." he says holding out his hand for me to take. I glance down at his hand and know if I accept his hand I'll start crying so I brush past him in the small office and sit down in a chair on the other side of the study.

Drake pulls up a chair beside mine and sighs heavily.

"I should probably explain what happened that night, but first I want to say I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that and I know you saw me walk off with your best friend-" Drake starts but I cut him off.

"Former best friend." I say pretending to take a sudden interest in my nails as if this conversation was boring me.

"Still it wasn't cool of me to do that. I was there at the party to gather intel on what the Red Hawks were planning and Zoe was my contact. I thought it was you which was why I was so cross with you. Zoe's an Atrian with her markings removed so she can spy for us," He pauses and I sit there slightly dumbfounded. For all her comments about the Atrians and how they were disgusting, I would have never guessed she was one of them. This realization makes me even more skeptical of Drake and whatever he has to say next.

"Is that why you kept saying something about a mission and business to attend to?" I ask fingering the necklace around my throat. He nods and continues to let me process what he's told me. "If Zoe had found you first, would you have slept with her too?" I say softly, looking away as the tear start escaping.

Drake kneels in front of me, and gently lifts my face toward his. I don't resist even though something in me tells me to, but I won't look directly at him as the tears slip from the corner of my eye and make a slow path down my face probably ruining my makeup. He reaches up and brushes the tears away with gentle fingers but I flinch anyway.

"Taylor I told you I made a mistake," I blanch at what he says sucking in a large breath. "My mistake wasn't sleeping with you, it was leaving you right away with no other explanation. I'm sorry." He says this gently but I am hurt and don't want to accept his apology, not yet anyway.

"I don't know what to say to that. Am I supposed to forgive you because we had a miscommunication and then you flipped out on me but now you're apologizing so that makes up for everything?" I look at him and I can see the shift in his eyes. He sees that this is not going the way he wants it to. I silently feel proud of myself for not totally giving in to him.

"No. That's not what I came here for. I just want to fix things between us. Even if we don't become friends I don't want us to leave things like this especially since we go to the same school so it'll be difficult to avoid you." Drake stutters and then adds hastily,"that didn't come out like I had wanted it to."

"Do you ever stop talking before you dig yourself a hole you can't get out of? Or do you get a thrill out of trying to sweet talk your way out of a situation?" I say furious at him and stand to remove myself from this situation.

Unfortunately my dress must have become trapped under the chair leg because as I stand and walk forward my dress catches and I fall forward. Drake's arms reach out and catch me and I wrap one arm around his neck and the other catches on his bicep. Our faces are so close I can see flecks of green in his bright blue eyes. Thankfully he seems just as surprised as me. I stand there petrified for a few seconds before the stress of this situation finally causes me to act. The hand I have around his shoulder slips up to the back of his head and pulls him down to my height and I kiss him. He reacts and pulls me closer by my hips. I put one hand on his chest and let my other hand relax, since he is now bending down and I can reach him, and rest it on the back side of his neck. He pulls away first and looks at me. I smile at him still unsure of what just happened. He reaches up and cups my face and bends down for another kiss. I comply and this time the kiss is softer, not less passionate, just slower, less rushed than before. I pull away this time and clear my throat.

I see a mirror in the room and walk over to it, checking my makeup to make sure it wasn't completely ruined. My mascara is a little streaky but nothing a tissue can't fix. I dab at my makeup and see Drake looking at me in the mirror. I give him a small smile and beckon him closer when I see my lipstain has slightly rubbed off onto his lips. He comes closer and I wet the tissue with the glass of water Drake had given me earlier.

"Bend down please," I say facing him.

"Gonna kiss me again?" Drake asks teasingly but he listens and bends down. I brace one hand on his strong jaw and dab the cloth at his lips wiping the stain away. "Thanks. I guess it would look kinda funny if I had lipstick on."

"Red's not your color," I tease him releasing my hold on his face.

"It may not be my color, but it is certainly your color." he says and his eyes rake up and down my body. I blush madly and look at the floor. His hand brushes my cheek "Pink's a pretty color on you too."

"We better get back to the party. It sounds like it's starting to die down." I say half wanting to get away from his intense gaze before something besides kissing happened, and also remembering that the Atrian's have a curfew and the bus will leave without them.

Drake opens the door and looks out into the room. He walks boldly out the room and I follow more slowly behind him. I'm a little ashamed that I probably just got caught walking out of a closed room with Drake in someone else's home, but my heart is also fluttering so quickly I think it might explode from my chest and I feel giddy. Drake walks me to the front door and then out to my car. I turn around and fish my keys out of my handbag but my hands are shaking so much I drop them. Without missing a beat Drake bends down, picks them up and hands them to me. I thank him and hold onto his hand. It's a little chilly since the sun set but his hands warm mine.

"I know this isn't easy but I think what we have is something that can't be ignored. I will do whatever it takes to make you mine and prove that what we did wasn't a mistake." He says staring into my eyes. He is lit from behind by the porch lights giving him a sort of halo of light. I stifle a laugh at the thought of Drake being an angel.

"I'll see you monday." I say not yet ready to face what _this_ actually is. He kisses my forehead and turns toward the bus that will take him back to the Sector. I get in my car and rest my forehead on the steering wheel. _What have you gotten yourself into? _I ask myself finally pulling away from the party and heading home.


	2. Chapter 2

Drake's POV

As soon as I say goodbye to Taylor my mind is whirling with ideas about how to prove to her that I'm not the colossal jerk that I appeared to be when we first hooked up. Roman was standing by the bus door clearly not wanting to board just yet.

"What was that all about?" Roman asks me waving a hand at Taylor's retreating car.

"Nothing. We were just talking." I say trying to get past him but he blocks my path.

"It sure looked like just talking to me, especially the part where you kissed her forehead." He punched my arm, not hard, but in a mocking way. I look at his face and see him smiling at me.

"It was nothing." I insist again though my voice makes it sound weak and unconvincing.

"I'm happy for you. If anyone were to benefit from the integration program I'm glad it's you and my sister." He says indicating Sophia and Lukas behind me. They were sitting on a bench, talking and holding hands. I looked away hating to spoil their moment if they saw us watching them.

"I just don't want to scare her away. I don't know how to treat a girl like Taylor. She's way different than anyone I've dated before. There's this fire in her that I'm both incredibly turned on by and at the same time it scares me. Then there's the fact that her parents are from a different lifestyle than I am and..." I stop hearing how panicky my voice has become.

"Relax. I'm sure anything you do to make an effort to be nice to her will be noticed and appreciated. That's what women really want; someone who tries to do things for them but not in the pushy 'I'm doing this specifically for you.' kind of way." Roman suggests this and for once he makes sense. I nod to him and finally he lets me pass and I sit in my usual seat staring out the window.

The next morning I wake up extra early. I hadn't slept really well but I think that was due to how nervous I am about today. I hope Taylor doesn't reject what I have planned because that would totally suck. I planned a lunch date for us and had gone and bought a bouquet of flowers that we grow in the Sector that smell like vanilla, a scent I know she likes because she wears it. I spent an abnormal amount of time looking in the mirror trying to calm myself down but then I realized it wasn't helping. I walked down the stairs and grabbed a piece of bread off the counter and my backpack from the living room and was out the door before anyone else was awake. I was the first one on the bus so I set the flowers on the seat next to me hoping the other students would take the hint and not sit there.

It seemed like forever but the other students finally trickled in and we were off to school.

Taylor's POV

Last night was probably the most stressful night of my life, and I'm not even talking about what happened at the party! Drake haunted my dreams and wouldn't leave my thoughts alone. I even had Justine, my housekeeper, make a cup of my favorite tea but it didn't help. So I woke up before the sun rose and decided to do some extra prepping when I saw the deep circles under my eyes. I stood in front of my wardrobe and looked at my clothing options. I looked at my designer dresses and skirts, but decided today was a day for shorts and a blouse. I thought about my makeup choices and decided on a natural look. I took one more glance in the mirror and decided I was ready.

I grabbed my bag and slung it over my shoulder. I walked down the stairs and saw Justine waiting in the kitchen with a plate full of eggs and sausage.

"Morning Miss Taylor. How'd you sleep?" She asked me setting the plate down at my spot at the table.

"Not very well. I couldn't stay asleep after I finally fell asleep."

"I'm sorry to hear that. Now what do you want for lunch?"

"I think I'll just eat in the cafeteria." I say feeling bad that she always has to cook for me.

"You know how I feel about cooking for you. You're like my family and I love cooking for family. Don't feel bad about requesting something special." Justine said patting my head.

"I'll be fine." I say digging into my plate. The food tastes good and I quickly finish. I stood up and hugged Justine and headed to the bathroom to brush my teeth.

I jumped in my car and headed off to school nervous of what would come. I didn't want Drake to think I was so desperate that I freaked him out but I didn't want him to think I didn't care enough.

I was thinking about what to say to him when I pulled into the parking lot and saw him standing by what everyone usually calls my spot. I don't claim it to be mine but I park in it almost every day. He wore a simple black wifebeater and jeans and in his hands were a bouquet of flowers. The shirt showed off his muscles and his markings and I stared at him for a few seconds before pulling into the spot. I took a deep breath and turned off the car.

Drake opened the door for me and offered his hand to help me get out. The gesture was both charming and utterly cheesy. I smiled and let him help me up even though I didn't need it. I laughed at how incredibly tall he looked when I was wearing my flats instead of my heels. Usually we were the same height but now I'm at least a foot shorter. He smiles and laughs too as he realizes what I'm laughing at. He bends down comically and chastely kisses my cheek.

"Good morning," Drake says simply as he brushes a piece of hair out of my face that the light breeze had blown out of place. He holds the white flowers out to me and I stare at them before lifting them to my face. I inhale their pungent scent and am surprised by how familiar the flowers smell.

"Vanilla?" I ask inhaling again.

"Yeah. We grow them in the Sector and I knew you liked vanilla so I bought them this morning when I couldn't sleep." He shoves his hands in his pockets nervously waiting for my reaction. I smiled and gave him a hug.

"Thank you it's really thoughtful of you. What are they called?"

"We call them Angel's Trumpet because of the shape and the color." Drake explained fingering one of the blossoms.

"You guys believe in Angels?" I asked. I was curious about the Atrians and what we learned in school wasn't nearly informative enough.

"Some of my people do." He paused when he finished speaking and we both realized what had happened. There would always be that fine line between us. I'm Human and Drake's and Atrian. We are not the same, but we are not entirely different.

"Do you think there will ever be a day when we talk and we just say 'our people' and not Atrians and Humans?" I ask curious about his answer.

"I really hope that someday there will be, and Atrians and Humans will work together to create a better world for everyone." We hear the warning bell sound and turn to go inside.

I walked up to my locker and placed my hand on the scanner. I swapped out the few books I didn't need for the ones that I did. As I reached for my Calculus book I saw Drake had leaned against the locker next to mine and was watching me intensly. I blushed and pulled part of my hair in front of my face to block his view. I quickly grabbed the book and closed my locker.

"You know people are staring." Drake said matter-of-factly.

"Do I care?" I asked back lifting my head a little higher and squaring my shoulders. "They probably think you are going to beat me up or something."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Drake asked defensively.

"Nothing. It's just..." I fumbled for the right words and when nothing came to mind I turned away from Drake and walked off.

"It's because I'm an Atrian." Drake said softly but I could still hear him. My heart clenched painfully but I kept walking.

Drake's POV

The bus ride to school felt especially long and I kept having to adjust the flowers on the seat next to me. I tried to stay calm but my hearts were racing. I tried to steady my breathing like what the clan teachers told me to do when I got nervous. It's one of the perks of being a warrior, we have trouble sitting still for long periods of time. I looked out the window as we finally arrived and saw that Taylor's parking spot was still empty. I stood with the flowers and carefully made my way out of the bus.

The guard put his hand up and stopped me before I left the bus.

"What are those for?" He said pointing to the flowers.

"They're for a biology project." I lied thinking that I would be more likely to get off the bus with them if I said it was because of a school project than if I said I planned on giving them to a Human girl.

"They better not be poisonous." The guard said eyeing the flowers.

"If they were I wouldn't be touching them." I pointed out and the guard looked at me stupidly. "Can I go to class now?" He nodded and stepped aside. It was always going to be like this in one way or another. Some moron was always going to think we wanted to take their planet hostage and recolonize it with our race. I wish there was a place where I could go where there weren't ignorant people who put us down because we happen to be different. _There's always Eljida _some small voice whispers in the back of my mind. I shake my head at the thought though. Taylor couldn't come with me, humans aren't allowed in and they definitely aren't supposed to know about it.

I'm still gathering my thoughts when I see Taylor pull into the parking lot. She sees me and stops the car for a few seconds before she pulls in. I walk to her side of the car and open the door. I knew she didn't need help out of the car but I remembered what Roman had said about girls wanting a guy who would do stuff for them just because they could so I held out my hand. She smiled and took my hand and stepped out of the car. Taylor started laughing for some reason and it wasn't until I noticed how far up she had to look up that I laughed too. She's practically a dwarf without her heels so I bend down and kiss her cheek.

"Good morning." I say still laughing and I can see the gleam in her eyes.

I hold the white flowers out to Taylor and she stares at them before lifting them to her face. Taylor inhales their pungent scent and a look of surprise crosses her face.

"Vanilla?" She asks inhaling again.

"Yeah. We grow them in the Sector and I knew you liked vanilla so I bought them this morning when I couldn't sleep." I shove my hands in my pockets nervously waiting for her reaction. She smiled and wrapped her free arm around me.

"Thank you it's really thoughtful of you. What are they called?"

"We call them Angel's Trumpet because of the shape and the color." I explained pointing to one of the blossoms.

"You guys believe in Angels?" She asked. I was curious as to why she was asking but I answered anyway.

"Some of my people do." I paused when I realized what I had said. I had unintentionally brought to light the difference between us again. There would always be that fine line between us. I'm about to apologize when Taylor speaks.

"Do you think there will ever be a day when we talk and we just say 'our people' and not Atrians and Humans?"

"I really hope that someday there will be, and Atrians and Humans will work together to create a better world for everyone." I take a hold of her hand and run my thumb over her knuckles. We hear the warning bell sound and turn to go inside.

Taylor and I walk up to her locker. I stood beside her and crossed my arms over my chest as she swapped out the few books she didn't need. I watched her move with a sort of fluididity that matched the females of my warrior tribe. She saw me watching her so she blushed and pulled part of her hair in front of her face to block my view. She quickly grabbed her last book and closed the locker slamming it slightly.

"You know people are staring." I said matter-of-factly. I had been watching the people in the halls and noticed they couldn't stop staring at us and talking.

"Do I care?" she asked. She raised her head a little more and that fire burned in her eyes. "They probably think you are going to beat me up or something."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I say reflexively. This conversation turned to a very bad place and I tried to think of ways that I could bring it back on track.

"Nothing. It's just..." Taylor stands there trying to recover but when she can't think of anything she shies away from me and walks off.

"It's because I'm an Atrian." I say softly to myself speaking the truth that neither of us could. It hurts to admit that this is a big issue with our relationship and I can't help but be frustrated that this is what keeps coming up and this might be the reason that we can't move forward in our relationship. I sigh and rub a hand over my face. This was going to much more difficult than I thought.

Luckily for me I had gym next period so I could burn off some of this nervous energy. Roman and I tossed a football back and forth for a while before he grabbed the ball and headed toward me.

"What's going on? You're not even trying to show off."

"I don't show off." I say throwing a punch at him. He ducks easily and then backs away.

"I was just trying to get a response out of you. Seriously though. What's going on?"

"I just have a lot on my mind. Something happened with Taylor and I don't know if this relationship worth pursuing anymore." I shift from foot to foot and not knowing what to do with my hands I shove them in my pockets and stare at the ground.

"What happened? I thought you were so excited that you didn't sleep the night before."

"I was but something came up and I don't know if Taylor and I can survive that." I look up at Roman and he has that look on his face that he only gets when he is thinking hard.

"What problem?"

"It seems like no matter what we do something always comes along and points out the fact that I'm different than she is. That our relationship isn't considered normal and nothing we do is going to change the fact that people think it's wrong that she would want to be with me. This morning when we came into school people wouldn't stop staring at us and then she said she thought it was because people thought I was going to beat her up. I didn't know what to say to that. Then she walked away and I didn't go after her."

"Why didn't you go after her?"

"I don't know." I say getting frustrated. I took the football back from Roman and throwing it across the field. It almost hits someone and for a moment I feel bad but then the situation comes back into mind and I'm angry again.

"That was a pretty amazing throw." Roman said clearly trying to calm me down. It wasn't working.

"Hey you two!" the teacher yelled while walking in our direction. I looked behind us hoping he wasn't coming for us. "Who threw this ball?" He says holding up said ball.

"I did. Why?" I say slightly annoyed with his pointless question.

"Have you ever played football?"

"We don't have grass in the Sector, let alone sports equipment."

"Well if you can figure out how to play football I'd love to have you on the team. We could use an arm like that."

"Thanks but no thanks _coach."_ I say and then I take off toward the school wanting to be alone for a while.

Unfortunately I still hadn't cooled off by the time I reached the building and Erik was standing there. He took one look at me, saw my expression and tried to leave but I grabbed him by the back of his shirt and pulled him back toward me. The rest was a blur until I felt a smaller set of hands try and pull me off of Erik. I grabbed the person's arm and twisted it behind them. That's when I noticed the person's blonde hair and the smell of vanilla.


	3. Chapter 3

Thanks for the amazing response.

Taylor's POV

I tried to sit through my next class but something about what happened this morning wouldn't leave my mind. I looked around the room and saw varying degrees of boredom on the students' faces. I suddenly felt dizzy and clutched the sides of the desk. My mouth felt dry and my palms started sweating. I stood up and hurried out of the room hastily grabbing my bag and slinging it over my shoulder. The room swayed as I walked out into the cool hallway. I heard gasps of surprise behind me as the door shut but I ignored them.

I threw the door of the bathroom open and grabbed the edges of the sink as I tried to keep the ground under my feet from moving. I twisted the handles of the tap and cold water rushed out. I washed my hands quickly and when that made the room stop spinning a little I splashed water up my arms and across the back of my neck. I felt cooler and more stable so I shut the tap off and reached for a paper towel. I heard a loud bang and decided that since I was already out of class I might as well stay out of class.

I opened the door and peered out into the hallway. I saw Drake and Eric wrestling on the floor. I stood frozen until I remembered that if Drake got into any trouble he would be to blame regardless of who threw the first punch.

I hurried toward them and put my hand on Drake' arm trying to get him off of Eric. With speed I didn't know he possessed Drake separated from Eric and pulled my arms behind my back, pressing me into the wall. I was so shocked I didn't fight him as we stood there for a few seconds; the only sound was the sound of our rapid breaths. His breathing suddenly cut off and he released me.

I turned around slowly and looked at him. He looked startled and without warning he turned and ran away.

"What the hell was that?" Eric said standing and wiping blood off his face.

"I don't know." I said staring in the direction Drake had taken off. _He's headed toward the greenhouse. _I thought to myself. "I'll see you later okay?" I said absentmindedly and rushed to find Drake.

As I neared the greenhouse I began to question my decision. _Did I really want to follow after some guy that practically tackled me to a wall? _I knew the answer was yes before I even finished forming that question.

"Drake?" I called out peering around the wall of the greenhouse. He lies sprawled out on the floor staring up at the open roof. He looked up at me and his brow furrowed.

"Taylor?" He asked. I moved closer to him and stopped a few inches away from his head. "I don't know if it matters now that we've hooked up, but I can see straight up your shorts." He smiled up at me cheekily.

"What?" I asked taking a step back reflexively.

"I'm kidding, sorry." He sat up and moved over on the floor to make room for me to join him. I sat down and wrapped my arms around my knees. I looked around the greenhouse surprised to find it was still in one piece. That surprised me because I know Drake's temper can sometimes get the best of him.

"I'm surprised you came looking for me." Drake said looking back at the sky.

"Why wouldn't I?" He shrugged and kept searching the sky for something.

"What is this place? They didn't include it in our tour on the first day."

"It's the school's original greenhouse." I answered looking around at the different plants.

"What's with the hole in the roof?" He said gesturing above us.

"It happened on Arrival Day. When you guys crashed part of the ship flew off and smashed through the roof of the greenhouse. They never bothered fixing it and eventually it fell into disuse and it was abandoned by the school."

"It doesn't look abandoned." He said pointing to the bag of fresh potting soil and the leaking hose in the corner.

"I said it was abandoned by the school. I still keep it up and running." I touched a bloom on a nearby plant.

"Why would you do that?" He asked touching my hand gently.

"It's the last place my parents were truly happy. My mother helped the school set up the greenhouse and sustain it."

"What happened to your parents?" Drake said curiously. I hesitated before answering.

"My mother was pregnant when she constructed this place. She wanted a place to take me and the baby to when we were old enough. When she lost the baby she fell into depression but she got help so she'd be okay. My parents never really recovered from the loss though. They stay together mostly for my sake but I don't think it's going to last."

"You were going to have a brother or sister? I thought we had the technology to prevent the loss of children."

"We do now, but my mother refused treatment. She didn't want her baby to be a science project. She knew the risk of not having the procedure but she wanted the baby to have a chance of getting better on his own. The baby had a lung that wasn't fully developed and so when he was born he wasn't getting enough blood to his brain. He died two days after he was born."

"I'm sorry for... everything." Drake said not looking at me. I placed my hand over his and pulled it into my lap drawing doodles on his palm.

"It's okay. You didn't hurt anything or anyone- except maybe Eric, but he probably deserved it." I laughed.

"I pinned you to a locker." He says bitterly, lowering his eyes to the floor. I sighed exasperated and climbed over the top of him. I straddled his waist and looked into his eyes. He reflexively rests his hands on my hips and looks at me with wide eyes.

"You didn't hurt me. I am fine and I know you didn't act out for some stupid reason. I know you were upset about this morning. I shouldn't have walked away from you after hearing what you said, but I was hurt and I did and for that I'm sorry." I leaned into him resting my head against his chest.

"I'm sorry I said that by the way." He said wrapping his arms around me. I felt safe in his arms as I listened to his steady breathing and his two hearts beating away.

"It's weird hearing your _hearts_." I said emphasising hearts so he would know what I meant.

"It's weird hearing only your one. I keep forgetting and thinking there's something wrong with you."

"I'm sorry not all of us are built for swimming under water for five hours." I teased back.

"I can swim underwater for a lot longer than 5 hours." He said curling a piece of my hair around his fingers.

"I forgot we have a marathon man here," I said climbing off his lap to sit beside him. He shook his head at me and pulled me closer. I lay my head down on his lap as Drake gently pulled my hair out from under me. He fanned it across his lap and started playing with different pieces of it.

"Is this okay?" he asked as he combed his fingers through my hair gently rubbing my skull. I hummed my appreciation and he continued his gentle massage.

"I wish we could stay here forever." I said closing my eyes and enjoying the moment.

"Who says we can't?"

"If you skip class they'll come looking for you and then you'll be in trouble and we won't be able to hang out anymore." I sat up and sit beside him so our thighs are pressed together.

"So now we're hanging out?" Drake said teasingly.

"Don't tell anyone but I'm trying to get this guy to like me."

"Yeah?" he asked putting his arm around me, "Do I know him?"

"Yeah you know him, he's your best friend, Roman. He's pretty cute in that innocent way." I say seriously even though I'm laughing on the inside. Drake's face falls for a second. "I'm joking! It's you dummy!" I yell flinging myself at him and knocking him over so we're sprawled out across the floor of the greenhouse. I lean over him allowing my hair to create a sort of curtain hiding us from the world. I look into his eyes and lose myself in their depths. He smiles up at me and leans up as I lean down. I kissed him and unlike all of our other kisses this one isn't rushed or hurried. I can feel him smiling against my lips and I smile in response. This causes us to start laughing and break the kiss.

I sigh and say "We really should get back though. I kinda ran out of my history class without telling the teacher."

"Yeah well I kinda nailed some kid with a football and was offered a spot on the football team." I looked down at him and he nodded his head.

"Do you even know anything about football?"

"Not really, only what I've picked up from gym class."

"Well I can tell you from being the team manager that gym football is child's play compared to real football." He looked at me for a minute his eyebrows drawing together.

"Is there anything you aren't apart of?" He asks laughing. I think for a minute and then laugh too.

"Well I'm not a part of the school's rhythmic gymnastics team. I don't think I could pull off a leotard."

"I think you would look great in anything." He says earnestly and I blush scarlet. "Seriously though, how does your head not explode?"

"I keep a very detailed calendar."

"Okay, well why don't you schedule me in for every Friday night?" he asks looking at me hopefully.

"Is this you asking me out?"

"Is this you saying yes?" he asks. I let him squirm for a few seconds before smiling and nodding. He stands up, pulls me to my feet, and hugs me tightly.

"Drake too tight!" I say laughing. He releases me and sets me back down. I brush some dirt off my pants and adjust my shirt.

Drake holds out his hand to me and I take it entwining our fingers. We walk back toward the school and he leads us to his locker. He opens the door and takes out some books and puts some back in before quickly shutting the door. He retakes my hand and I start leading us slowly to our Biology class.

"Drake!" and SEU guard calls out to the two of us. "You need to come with me."

"What's this about?" I ask stepping in front of Drake who puts his hand on my shoulder.

"Gloria needs to talk to him." He says inclining his head toward Drake. I narrowed my eyes suspiciously. Nobody would be waiting in a deserted hallway unless they wanted something more serious than needing to talk to Gloria.

"It's fine. I'll see you later," He kisses me on the side of my head and I see the SEU guard make a sort of gagging motion but he straightens quickly and coughs into his hand

"Right this way please," the guard says and he escorts Drake down the hallway. I stared after them until people started flooding the hallway and I left for class.


End file.
